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New iPhones Off To Faster Start Than Last Year

CHICAGO – Apple’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus accounted for a larger percentage of iPhone sales in their first weeks of availability than last year’s new iPhones did, Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) found in a consumer survey.

For the quarter ending September, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models accounted for 46 percent of all iPhones sold, even though they became available on Sept. 19. The iPhone 6 accounted for 33 percent of units sold, and the iPhone 6 Plus accounted for 13 percent.

With last year’s launch of the iPhone 5s and 5c, sales of the 5s and 5c accounted for less than 40 percent of iPhone sales in the quarter, CIRP said.

“The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus had a very successful start, which should dominate Apple’s iPhone results for the quarter,” said CIRP partner Josh Lowitz. “Not only did customers gravitate to the two new flagship phones, Apple also captured a $100 premium with the 6 Plus.”

He also said Apple’s revised pricing for more storage, at $100 for 64GB and $200 for 128GB, “should also boost iPhone revenue.”

“The results for the first two weeks look promising,” said partner Mike Levin. CIRP plans a followup to assess 30-day sales at the end of October.

In surveying iPad buyers, CIRP found that the iPad Air continued to dominate iPad tablet sales, accounting for 54 percent of all iPads sold in the quarter.

“iPad Air models had significantly higher share of sales than last year’s flagship, the iPad with Retina Display,” said Levin. The iPad Mini with Retina Display helped increase the share of 7.9-inch Apple models compared to the year-ago quarter, increasing the average retail price of 7.9-inch Apple tablets, he said.

CIRP based its findings on a Sept. 30-Oct. 9 survey of 500 U.S. Apple customers who purchased an iPhone, iPad, or Mac in the U.S. during the months of July through September.